Paprika, Garlic and Lemon Zest Mash

Posted on May 25, 2013 by scarter

Spicing it up…

It’s been nice to see a bit of sun in Bristol popping up now and again, and it’s even given us the opportunity to get out and start a few BBQ’s in the back garden- How very nice of Mr Sun! Although i never really thought BBQ’ing with cats would be an issue, it seems very difficult (as a team of two) to ensure the cats don’t burn their puddies or eat our food whilst we’re prepping and getting ready for a garden feast. Miko is the hunger machine of our two cats, and he will literally eat anything- as i recently discovered him dragging a roasted red pepper along the ground…

This recipe wasn’t part of our BBQ at the time but i feel would make a great accompaniment to some BBQ’d Lemon and herby fish or chicken with some corn on the cob on the side. It was made rather last minute in an attempt to spice up our regular favourite – Chicken wrapped in Parma Ham, of which my husband Rob really cannot resist taking off the weekly menu.

The lemon zest gives it a nice tang, but not so much that it overpowers but really goes well with the smokey paprika, i reckon you could mix it up further with Lime zest for a complete citrus touch. Whatever you have in to hand in your pantry really :)

Paprika, Garlic & Lemon Zest Mash

Equally i think this would work well with chickpeas as well as potatoes, if you’re looking for a healthier alternative.

Serves 2.

450g Maris Piper, floury potatoes or 1 can of Pre-cooked Chickpeas 400g

50ml of Semi Skimmed Milk or a glug of Olive oil if using chickpeas

Tiny smidgen of Butter

4 Garlic cloves minced

3-5 heaped teaspoons of Paprika (Dependent on taste and for a dash on top)

Zest of 1/2 a Lemon (finely grated)

Salt and Pepper

Peel and rinse your potatoes thoroughly under cold water once or twice until some of the starch has been removed.

Pop your potatoes/chickpeas in a saucepan with some cold salted water and bring to the boil. Cook on a medium heat until you can put a knife through them. (Cook the precooked chickpeas until they are hot.)

Drain your potatoes/chickpeas and season with salt and pepper.

Pop the saucepan back on the heat and add the milk/ Olive oil until it becomes hot (but not bubbling)

Add back in your potatoes/chickpeas into the milk with the minced garlic and butter, and start mashing with a potato masher or -as John Torode does on Masterchef- use a fork!

When you’ve got most of the lumps out, or have a smoothish consistency, add in the Paprika, Lemon Zest and more salt and pepper and give it a good mix around.

If you fancy, dash a bit of extra paprika on top.

Feel free to add more of anything to get it to your tastes, i personally like to add a bit more paprika than usual, and sometimes some cayenne pepper for a kick :)

And Relax x

Happy new cake

Posted on January 9, 2013 by scarter

Happy New year to you all ! Of course by Happy new year i mean, Happy new cake. For me, diets do not exist in January, to aid the ‘back to work’ routine i feel comfort foods could be in full flow. February, if anything is when you should gradually start to ease in a diet. Pfft. Diets.

I believe in eating healthily of course, and i have planned to wean myself off sugar, caffeine, yeast and alcohol for a good few weeks (in Feb) to get back on track along with starting to take up tennis again. For now i will be content with a slice of cake and a cup of tea whilst i plunge into the work 7am routine, thank you very much.

Welcome back to Wuthering Bites 2013! I had a little interview with Crumbs Magazine and it goes through some of the ways i’ll approach things this year, as well as other things you may well like to know about me. I have a feeling this year may be a busy one! :)

I’d been approached before Christmas to write and test a recipe for a new Bristol Harbourside bistro, Cherry Duck. And as they are pro gluten free ( see their gluten free pancake willingness in the brunch menu for one example), i was well up for the challenge.

I’d been doodling a kind of poppy seed cake, since i had never made one before yet absolutely love the combination of Lemon and Poppy seed. Also, poppy seeds look pretty scattered about in a cake, unless you’re one of those relatives that does a bad joke about ants in a cake or something. Eww.Those of you who know me, will know that i am quite partial to sour cherries. They are truly my favourite thing to bake with aside chocolate, so i will go to any attempt to put them into a pudding or dessert when i have visitors; mainly brownies. And to want to think of a better excuse of using cherries in a cake for a bistro named Cherry Duck…it really was a no brainer!

This is my favourite type of cake, as i have said in previous blog posts, simple, fragrant and traditional sticky icing is my weakness.

( Gluten Free ) Sour Cherry and Poppy Seed Tea Cake with Orange Blossom icing.

200g Unsalted Butter

200g Caster Sugar

3 Eggs

100g Dried Sour Cherries chopped or whole

30g Poppy Seeds

100g Ground Almonds

60g Gluten Free Plain Flour

1/2 Teaspoon of Baking Powder

½ Teaspoon of xanthan gum

Icing

1 Tablespoon of Orange Blossom Water

1 Tablespoon of Freshly Squeezed Orange juice

1 Tablespoon of hot water

200g Icing Sugar

Zest of Orange (for decoration)

Preheat oven to 160 degrees and line a 22cm loose bottomed cake tin with greaseproof paper.

Put the butter and sugar into a stand mixer and beat until combined, add in the 3 eggs, one egg at a time until fully beated together.

Mix in the Ground Almonds by hand.

Fold in carefully the baking powder, gum and gluten free plain flour.

Fold in the poppy seeds and sour cherries and make sure they are evenly distributed.

Dollop the mixture into the cake tin and flatten out with a spatula.

Bake in the preheated oven for 30 mins. Then put a layer of tin foil on top and cook for a further 10-15 mins until cooked.

Take the cake out and leave to completely cool until icing.

For the icing, combine all the ingredients aside the orange zest into a bowl and mix well- test to see if your orange blossom is strong enough, if not add a teaspoon more, along with another teaspoon of icing sugar.

Ice roughly all over and decorate with cherries and orange zest!

:) Happy new cake

A is for Autumn.. and a new cat.

Posted on September 26, 2012 by scarter

Finding it hard at the moment to type due to having a fluffball on my lap. I love how cats can just lay about where they please, yet we find it hard to move them if they cause us any hassle. They just look so cute don’t they?

Maybe it’s to do with the warmth.

A is indeed for Autumn, and warmth is what we need at this time of year. My main reason I convinced my husband to let us get another cat was undoubtedly for heating purposes. Obviously ;)

Miko provides me a lot of warmth actually, he’s got quite a fluffy coat on him. All ginger and white. My dad calls him a ginger panda, which can only be a good thing. Pandas are like my second favourite animal.

He’s fast, like lightening. I think he’s already mastered the cat flap too (although I daren’t let him out yet!)

This past weekend saw the weather change drastically here in England, and although some people moaned about it, I will embrace it with five layers of cashmered arms. I love cosing up in front of the tv and makeshift candle fireplace, with a blanket -and the cats on the blanket, with a cup of tea and my hubby. That to me is an idyllic situation, as long as I have good food (I’ll forget about the trip to the supermarket in the freezing cold for now) I’m happy.

This weekend was about scones. Cake was a bit of an effort for the cold weather transition. These scones took 25 minutes to make and gave me way more time to be on the sofa with Ash and Miko.

I hope you like my new baby.

Autumnal Spiced Scones with Rosemary

Fragrant and Comforting, best served with Clotted Cream or Butter and Honey with a cup of Rooibos Tea. Delicious.

Makes four big or 6 medium scones

100g Hazelnut Flour

100g Almond Flour

85g Sorghum Flour (or Brown Rice Flour) plus extra for dusting.

2 Tsp of Gluten Free Baking Powder

Half a teaspoon of xanthan gum

Salt

2 Eggs

Half a teaspoon of Chopped Dried Rosemary

1 Teaspoon of Cinammon (Heaped, if you like ;)

1 Teaspoon of Ground Ginger

A Drizzle of Olive Oil

A Drizzle of Honey

Drop of Single Cream

Sprinkling of Granulated Sugar

Preheat your oven to 190 degrees.

Pop your Almond Flour, Hazelnut Flour, Sorghum Flour, Baking Powder, Xyanthan Gum and Salt into a Food Processor and give it a quick pulse.

Add in the eggs, Rosemary, Cinammon, Ginger and pulse once more until well combined.

Add in a drizzle of Olive Oil and Honey until the mixture is sticky to the touch, but not so sticky it comes straight off onto your fingers. If it ends up too sticky add a teaspoon by teaspoon of a chosen flour until you get the right consistency.

Take your dough out of the Food Processor and place onto a floured board.

Knead the flour into the dough with your hands until you have a workable mixture.

Divide equally into either four or six pieces and roll into balls. Flatten them slightly to about 5cm tall.

Place them onto a greased and floured baking tray (or baking paper) and brush the scones with a layer of cream. Sprinkle them all with the sugar.

Pop in the oven for 10-12 mins, keeping an eye on the tops, cook until golden.

Eat Warm :)

Time to visit an Ice Cream Farm

Posted on September 18, 2012 by scarter

Lets face it. I was pretty damn excited about this trip.

The morning came and i swear i felt like a child on Christmas morning. Unbearable excitement basically. (but to be honest i still feel excited on Christmas morning and i’m 24 almost.)

Marshfield Farm Ice Cream is situated in Marshfield: Interesting fact number one! It’s about a twenty minute car journey from the center of Bath. As we went in a group, we got a taxi from Bath Spa Station there together, although if you do have a car i would highly recommend it as the fare was a bit much!

The kind owners Will and Dawn Hawkings (who’s fantasy ice cream flavours are Toad in the hole and Prosecco) kindly invited us to try out their ice cream (all 25 flavours) at their new ice cream parlour and get a deeper insight into the production process! A true farm lifestyle, a dog, a cat, cows and lots of mucking about going on- gotta love the wellies!

Marshfield offer 17 gluten free flavours, which is pretty good going! As there is such a great variety to choose from, it really doesn’t matter that you can’t have the chocolate fudge brownie flavour. Honestly.

Will Hawking started his ice cream journey 21 years ago with a very small ice cream machine than what he’s used to now on the farm, although they still use a small one for testing with various toppings and ripples. They really don’t have to worry about what’s for dessert that night.

The testing process however, is crucial. A whole lot of trial and error goes into making sure your ice cream will taste palatable, have a smooth consistency, good shelf life , and a fantastic aesthetic. From the way Dawn talked us through the entire start to finish process, it shows that they take a lot of care and pride in what they create at Marshfield. With no Addictives, no Artificial Colours, and the challenge of working around allergen options, it’s obvious that they make this ice cream with all the love in the world, ensuring everyone gets a scoop!

Interesting fact number two is that pavlova may be gluten free on making, but it isn’t in the ice cream process. I was mythed by why the Raspberry Ripple Pavlova had gluten in, but Dawn explained that in order to get the pavlova ‘crunchy + chewy’ consistency, they had to put a special coating on top to help it keep it’s shape during the freezing process, otherwise it would just dissolve!

Interesting facts number three, four and five, is that in order to naturally flavour their stunning Succulent Strawberry, Mint Choc Chip and Caramel fudge in clotted cream they use Beetroot Juice, Chlorophyll and Turmeric!

Their new ice cream parlour is open only during the summer months, and i only wished i visited sooner in order to give you enough time to visit, but if you are available and in the Bath area, do take a trip down as they close at the end of September.

It is in the early stages, but by next year we hope to try lots more of their delicious sundaes they’ve put together! Plus there’s always an excuse to see cows in abundance. Isn’t there? ;)

Sarah’s Top Five Gluten Free Marshfield Flavours:

1- Blackcurrants in Clotted Cream

2- Honey and Stem Ginger

3- Carribean Coconut

4- Caramel Fudge in Clotted Cream

5- White Chocolate with Honeycomb Crunch

See what my lovely blogger friend Abby chose as her top five flavours are in her blog post here.

Once a week, meat.

Posted on August 8, 2012 by scarter

Dunno about you, but i think meat is rather expensive.

Rob and i went food shopping a fortnight ago and boy did we get a shock at the till. A lot of our money had got on chicken pieces and fish. We’re big fans of meat and we kind of did this depressing walk home..realising that meat may have to be cut down a bit on our shopping lists.

We have other responsibilities now, Ash is getting bigger by the day and eating WAY more food.

So we just figured that we’d start to have a really good nice bit of free range, locally sourced meat, once a week.

I’d been working on a chicken marinade for a while, as my IBS seems to have calmed down a bit and allowed me to eat mild spices. Rob’s been very patient in putting up with my Houdini ways in the kitchen, but i’d finally raided the spice rack enough. ‘I think you’ve got it!’ he said, announcing it like i just found a cure for tinnitus or something.

I love grinding things in a mortar and pestle.

Putting in and mixing all the ingredients like a fricken Polyjuice potion, just makes me smile witch-ingly everytime.

This marinade is very simple, mild but full of flavour. One of those recipes that uses kitchen staples to their absolute best, and amazing for a midweek dinner, providing you prepare the chicken in advance.

Serve with a crispy salad or with a fragrant saffron basmati rice.

Spice is Nice Chicken

Serves 2

4 Meaty Chicken Thighs

3 Garlic Cloves (cut up finely)

1tsp Chili Flakes

3tsp Turmeric Powder

1 tbsp Cumin Seeds

2tsps Ground Cinnamon

Juice of 1 Lemon

1 White Onion

Salt and Pepper

6 Tablespoons of good quality Natural Yoghurt (and a bit more to dot on top)

Wash your chicken thighs under a cold tap and pat down with some kitchen paper. Put in a medium mixing bowl and set aside.

Pop your chopped garlic, chili flakes, turmeric powder, cumin seeds, cinnamon into a mortar and pestle. Grind until well combined. Gradually add bit by bit, the juice of 1 lemon until you have a nice vibrant mixture of lemony spice.

Cut up your white onion into big chunks and pop in the bowl with your chicken. Season your chicken with salt and pepper.

Add the Natural Yoghurt to the chicken.

Scrape in your spices onto the chicken.

Mix everything together with your hands well until everything is submerged in a lovely spicy sauce.

Put in the fridge for 4-6 hours.

Heat the oven onto 180 degrees and cook for 30-45 mins, dependent on the size of your chicken. Keep an eye on it as ovens vary, as it can get crispy quite fast.

Serve with rice or salad, with a huge dollop of yoghurt on top for good measure.

Olympic Fever

Posted on July 27, 2012 by scarter

So it seems after all the rain moaning in my salsa cat post, the weather has taken a thankful turn for a while; my blog, ladles and jellyspoons, has much power! Even though this country is not accustomed to the ole air conditioning side of things, there is no way I am going to complain about the heat. It really is glorious. I just need to buy a paddling pool for temporary usage.

Now. The Olympics has started. Don’t worry I’m not one of those super patriotic sports fans so I won’t go on for ages about how it’s amazing it’s in our country and everything. One thing I will say though is, that I’m glad it’s become another excuse to get us Brits happy in one way or another. My idea of happiness, as you can imagine, is food. To top that would be to also meet with a select few of my best friends and to share food and be merry. Nothing in the world can be better than that for me, unless you transport us all to a lovely beach in the Maldives. With the food.

So I’d rather use the Olympics as an excuse to eat more. Go figure. Here’s two ideas;

An example of an Olympics = food+ happiness event is at the Townhouse Bar and Kitchen in Bristol. (They are very gluten free friendly!) Their food is also tremendous; I shall review for you next month.

They’re launching an Olympics promotion on Tuesday the 31st July (they’re closed for painting on Monday 30th) which will run across lunch only, for the duration of the games.

It kicks off at midday every week day:

First 10 people in get gold – 3 courses for £3
Next 10 in get silver – 3 courses for £5
Next 10 in get bronze – 3 courses for £8

It is only on the set lunch menu only (usually 3 courses for £10) and no reservations can be taken but maybe the thought of ‘racing to get food’ instead of watching people race sounds a bit more like your kinda thing?

Perhaps you’d also like to bake a gluten free cake? Insert my solution.

It’s not in anyway Olympic themed, but I feel it’s a recipe that can be made quite easily to make for a group of friends and in this troubling heat. A perfect afternoon tea cake to enjoy with an iced tea in the garden or an alcoholic beverage if you’d prefer. ;)

White chocolate and rosemary is simply a delicious combination, and if you’ve ever enjoyed a rosemary cake before- this is a real treat. I’ve used yoghurt instead of milk to provide a bit of a sour note- there is a lot of sweetness from the white chocolate and sugar so if you’d rather balance it a bit I’d recommend using the yoghurt; it also gives it a dense, almost doughy texture which is nice to break apart and dip into the icing sugar.

White Chocolate and Rosemary Maderia Loaf

225g butter, softened

200g caster sugar

4 eggs

175g Gluten Free Plain Flour

25g Ground Almonds

2tsp of Xanthan Gum

2 tsp baking powder

50ml Plain Yoghurt or 50ml of Milk

80g White chocolate chopped

1 Tablespoon of chopped Rosemary.

Icing Sugar to dust (Optional)

Preheat the oven to 180°C.

Butter the sides of a loaf tin and grease well with butter.

Cream the butter in a large bowl or in an electric food mixer until soft then add the sugar and beat until the mixture is light.

Gradually add the eggs and beating all the time.

Sift in the flour, almond flour, Xanthan gum, Baking powder, Yoghurt and fold in slowly with a spatula.

Fold in the chopped White Chocolate and Rosemary.

Place the mixture into the loaf tin

Bake in the oven for 45 minutes – 60 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Keep an eye on it!

Turn the cake out and leave to cool.

Dust with icing sugar.

So don’t hate the Olympics, embrace the food opportunities and excuses to indulge. Much better ;)

Salsa Cat

Posted on July 19, 2012 by scarter

Yesterday was the turning point. I’m sick of the rain. Now, don’t get me wrong, i love every excuse to sit in my cosy flat with my Minnie Mouse pyjamas on, wrapped in a blanket whilst watching re-runs of American sitcoms; but it’s got to the point where i am never leaving my house due to an addiction to sugar. Preferably in the cake form.

Rob came home from work and we both looked at each other and just moaned about how we wish we could escape right now on our holiday to Spain; we have 5 weeks to go and the waiting mood is not looking good. We’d planned to just do another carb to go with our fishcakes, or creamed spinach with cumin. God i love that. Rob paused and thought. Salsa.

I didn’t feel like dancing. Rob had to instantly correct me and ensure me that it was the edible kind. Why does my mind always go to dancing or maracas?

So last night we finely chopped up and mixed the following, but feel free to go crazy. (I made more the following day and just used what we had left in the fridge)

I present to you our Bright-eyed Salsa.

This will last you a good 3 main meals as a side, or 3 lunches for 1 person.

1 Green Pepper
1 Yellow Pepper
1 Orange Pepper
1 Carrot
5 Spring Onions
1/2 a Cucumber
1 Red Chilli (without the seeds)
3 Tomatoes or a medium punnet of baby plum tomatoes
Garlic Oil
Juice of 1 lemon
Teaspoon of Red wine Vinegar
Black Pepper

For days when you need a boost to become a bit more sprightly, just like our Ashy :)

From Paris with … Chocolat Chaud

Posted on May 20, 2012 by scarter

I’m back. ‘Finally’ – I hear you cry. Oh you guys!! *blushes* and I’m married –double yay! So no longer do I have to spell out my surname ‘Kreczmer’ numerous times to people I can now simply go ‘Carter’ and pretend I’m an American news reporter. Badass.

We went to Paris for our honeymoon and I have to be brutally honest and say, although it was lovely- we did have a few issues and in retrospect we wished we just went for a lazy beach scenario. Our first hotel although it was good for a base hotel, didn’t quite have the romantic charm or attentive service that we needed for our honeymoon so we did a swift move to another which was better located in the 1^st arrondissment and near to Pierre Herme’, the latter pretty much sealed the deal for me.

It was an expensive holiday, and the most affordable (and most enjoyable) for me was going to the supermarket. Yes. Eiffel Tower, Louvre, Arc d’Triomphe -forget it, the supermarkets is where it’s at. Particularly in the Galleries Lafayette Gourmet. It was foodie heaven. I could have spent hours trying all the delicious produce but alas we was on a tight schedule and I had a feeling the husband was getting nervous with the amount of money I was spending on chocolate. I seem to however go into this ‘money-no-object’ state when I’m in foreign supermarkets; I think it’s because you never really know what things cost unless you have an amazing ability to convert instantly.

My best purchase wasn’t found in the supermarket (although they also sold it there) but in one of the most famous tea rooms in Paris – Angelina. Their hot chocolate is arguably (but debated consistently on trip advisor) as one of the best in Paris. I bought a box then…naturally.

My return home to England was depressing to say the least, we only had a 5 day honeymoon which went a bit fast (we hope to go somewhere longer next year) and I STILL didn’t think I bought enough food back with me. Disaster! On the upside though I’m now back to share with you this recipe, which I put together in my mind on the flight back. A bit weary of cooking cake with chocolat chaud but let me tell you…this did not disappoint.

There’s something very child-like about messing around with hot chocolate in the kitchen, I remember mixing all kinds of cream/milk/caramel syrup concoctions when I was young. This went all through university as well. You just can’t grow out of that indulgent simplicity.

This Hot chocolate maderia cake though is not recommended for children however, it involves Crème d’Abricot (Apricot Liqueur) and I did get drunk in the process of testing. You can use any Liqueur really but I found this one a bit different and it also gives it an almondy taste that is lovely with sweet chocolate.

Either put the icing on top or use it as a side cream- this cake is particularly nice when heated up! Either way Ash loved it.

Hot Chocolate Maderia Cake with Creme d’Abricot Mascapone Icing

225g butter, softened

200g caster sugar

4 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

175g gluten free plain flour

25g Ground Almonds

2tsp of Xanthym Gum

2 tsp baking powder

50ml milk

100g hot chocolate powder (at least 50% cocoa)

2 Tablespoons of Apricot Liqueur (and a drizzle extra)

Mascapone 100g

Cream Cheese 200g

2 tablespoons of icing sugar

Preheat the oven to 180°C.

Butter the sides of a loaf tin and grease well with butter.

Cream the butter in a large bowl or in an electric food mixer until soft then add the sugar and beat until the mixture is light.

Gradually add the eggs and vanilla extract to the butter mixture, beating all the time.

Sift in the flour, almond flour, Xyanthm gum, Baking powder, milk and mix slowly.

Fold in the sifted cocoa powder.

Place the mixture into the loaf tin

Bake in the oven for 45 minutes – 60 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.

Turn the cake out and leave to cool.

(Optional) Once cool, use a pastry brush and brush the top with liqueur evenly.

Top cake with icing :)

Icing:

Mix the Mascapone with the Cream Cheese and beat together.

Add the icing sugar.

Add the liqueur bit by bit till its to your taste.

Next blog post I’ll do something healthy :P Promise.

The cat that got the buttercream

Posted on February 23, 2012 by scarter

Although I hate to go on about my adorable kitten all the time, I was always taught to write about insights into your life in blog posts; so here I am doing just that. My relatives have been saying ‘You got Ash so your blog would get hits!’ so not true, but hey it hasn’t not helped ;p

I may have mentioned this on Twitter but as you know, I have a slight (okay huuugge) obsession for Tea. Any kind, Matcha, Fruit, English Breakfast… I could go on but I’ve found out that Ash’s favourite is Peppermint. I think, thrice now I’ve made a Peppermint tea and found it half gone after popping to the loo. How peculiar indeed!

And again, he was there eating my Jasmine Tea buttercream off my freshly, pretty baked cake. I’m sure the butter had something to do with it.

Brought some coconut last week and hadn’t found time to use it and I mostly got inspiration from these Chinese, fresh cream swirl cakes that I used to buy at the Chinese supermarket when I could tolerate gluten; I really wanted one today.

I love tea, there I said it again. I love the variety I suppose, and even better now I’ve decided to write a load of recipes experimenting with different kinds of infusions. It really gives the cake a very slight fragrant taste, not as powerful as adding say lavender of which I dislike. I prefer all the flavours to blend together and then you just get this last hint of jasmine. Of course, do experiment yourself with the amount of tea you put in.

It really is about how you like your tea.

Flower of the mountain Jasmine tea and coconut cake

Cake Ingredients

200g soft unsalted butter, plus a bit extra for greasing pans

200g caster sugar

2 tablespoons of strong strained Jasmine tea

1 teaspoon of dried Jasmine tea crushed in a pestle and mortar

4 medium eggs

100g self-raising gluten free flour, plus extra for dusting

50g of dried coconut

50g almond flour

½ teaspoon of xanthan gum

Frosting Ingredients

200g icing sugar, sifted

50g unsalted butter, at room temperature

Tablespoon of dried Jasmine tea crushed in a pestle and mortar

Dried Coconut for topping (that’s been steeped in water for 10 mins, then strained)

Directions:

Heat oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5.

Grease 2 x 20cm sandwich tins. Place the butter, sugar and crushed,strained tea into a bowl and beat well to a creamy consistency.

Beat in the eggs gently then fold in the flour and coconut. Mix until all combined.

Divide the mix evenly between the cake tins, place into the oven and bake for about 20 mins until just turning brown.

Remove from the oven and allow the cake to cool on a wire rack after taking them out of their tins.

Make your frosting. Add 50g of butter to 200g of icing sugar and the tablespoon of finely crushed Jasmine tea, mix until well combined and of a good icing consistency.

When your cake layers are cool enough for icing, put a 1/3 of the icing in the center for the filling and spread evenly, coat with a light layer of coconut.

Pop your other layer on top and ice once again, dusting with coconut and any other decorations you wish to put on! Flowers are nice :p

Serve with a cup of Jasmine, just after it’s rained and the sun comes through. Or indeed, to your cat.

Mackruelty

Posted on February 3, 2012 by scarter

I dislike all this negativity towards Mackerel. For want of an excuse for a headline pun I think it’s perfectly fitting to be honest. There are two sides to this story, firstly is from a good quantity of people who just shun it aside without the thought to taste it and secondly is just the cruelty from a cat’s perspective when a human eats it without sharing. The latter story happened today at lunch. Poor Ash, but a girl’s gotta eat too!

As a graduate, money is inevitably an everyday woe in the back of my mind, particularly when it comes to what food to spend my money on. Smoked, cooked and prepared Mackerel is £2.30 for around 6-7 strips at my local supermarket and if I’m strapped for cash it is most certainly my best friend. As it’s already prepared and cooked all you have to do is take off the skin on the back of the strips, shred the fish meat in pieces and add to pretty much any staple for a good meal. Aside this recipe, I absolutely love cooked rice, vegetables and mackerel all fried up in some lemony olive oil and butter for a quick meal.

Anyway, enough campaigning.

Today my fiancé and I got our first wedding present (rather early- as the weddings in May) my new Kitchenaid mixer! :)

I didn’t have enough sugary ingredients to test it to its best ability, so I opted for this hearty tarragon, bean and mackerel soup for lunch instead. Feel free to substitute the veggies for what ever is left in your cupboard! Perfect, quick cooking.

No more mackruelty hey? Well at least, just try it.

Tarragon, bean and mackerel soup.

Ingredients:

Olive oil

Chunk of butter

4 Spring onions chopped

1 Courgette chopped (or any other vegetables, carrot, mushrooms work well)

2 Bay Leaves

1 Vegetable stock cube

Tin of Cannelini beans

4-6 Strips of cooked smoked mackerel cut up into chunks

Black Pepper

Dried or fresh tarragon, a few tablespoons or sprigs.

Squeeze of lemon juice

Directions

Put the bay leafs, vegetable stock/cube and tarragon into a measuring jug and fill with ½ a litre of boiling water and leave to stew.

Put the chunk of olive oil and butter into a deep pan on a medium heat.

Add your chopped spring onions to the pan with the clove of garlic until the juices all start to marinade and fry.

Pop in the chopped courgettes or any other vegetables you want to put in.

Add in the tin of cannelini beans and grind over lots of black pepper!

Pour the ¼ litre of stock mixture with the aromatics into the pan of veggies.

Bring to the boil for 5 minutes and then take down to a medium heat for 20 minutes.

Squeeze in the lemon juice and give it a stir.

Add in the cut up mackerel chunks and leave to stew for a minute to release the flavour.

Serve with lots of crusty gluten free bread. Yum.

<3 xxxSxxx <3

Wuthering Bites

Tag Archives: cat

Paprika, Garlic and Lemon Zest Mash

Spicing it up…

Paprika, Garlic & Lemon Zest Mash

Happy new cake

( Gluten Free ) Sour Cherry and Poppy Seed Tea Cake with Orange Blossom icing.

A is for Autumn.. and a new cat.

Time to visit an Ice Cream Farm

Once a week, meat.

Olympic Fever

Salsa Cat

From Paris with … Chocolat Chaud

The cat that got the buttercream

Mackruelty

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Spicing it up…

Paprika, Garlic & Lemon Zest Mash

Would make my day if you shared :) :

Like this:

( Gluten Free ) Sour Cherry and Poppy Seed Tea Cake with Orange Blossom icing.

Would make my day if you shared :) :

Like this:

Would make my day if you shared :) :

Like this:

Would make my day if you shared :) :

Like this:

Would make my day if you shared :) :

Like this:

Would make my day if you shared :) :

Like this:

Would make my day if you shared :) :

Like this:

Would make my day if you shared :) :

Like this:

Would make my day if you shared :) :

Like this:

Would make my day if you shared :) :

Like this:

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